


Meet the Locals

by ushauz



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Avvar, Fanfic of Fanfic, Gen, The Fade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 11:20:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15266382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ushauz/pseuds/ushauz
Summary: For many nights, Justice worked at keeping the Fade around Refuge as safe as he could manage. Things change however when one night instead of running into yet another demon, he finds a spirit instead.





	Meet the Locals

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mikkeneko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikkeneko/gifts).
  * Inspired by [ONE ELEGANT SOLUTION](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5673073) by [Mikkeneko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikkeneko/pseuds/Mikkeneko). 



> This fic is for Mikke who requested fanfic of One Elegant Solution and wanted to see Justice interacting with spirits in the Fade.

He had patrolled before—fending off demons when he came across them as well as fortifying the area around him—but Justice redoubled his efforts after the incidents with Hamil and Anla. Way back before he had fallen into the mortal world, that had been his primary purpose. Returning to it even in part was a strange sensation, familiar yet alien at the same time.

Fear was not the only one drawn to the aftermath, and Justice kept vigil as best he could, especially around the minds of the children. There was only one him and many mages, but he could still be a deterrent. He still had his sword, after all. Or, in a way, was also the sword used to kill demons, in that it was a part of him and not as much as Anders’ limbs were a part of him and yet not.

For a time, there were demons, and there wisps. (There were always wisps. Justice had yet to find an area where wisps did not congregate in some amount of numbers.)

And then one night when Justice wandered, he found someone waiting there for him.

“Hail,” Curiosity said. They had taken the form of a small corvid, feathers glistening oil-like and covering hundreds upon hundreds of eyes upon their body.

“…hail,” Justice said. Something strange twisted. Yearned? He did not often talk to other spirits as he did not have much opportunity; there had been so few in Kirkwall for some reason.

Curiosity did not move nor say anything else but merely focused their attention at him with an unusual expectancy. If there was some social script to follow, Justice was unaware of it.

“This is your area?” Curiosity asked after a moment of silence that had probably extended into awkwardness.

“I guard the mages here as best as I can,” Justice said, uncertain if one could just lay claim to a swathe of the Fade. In truth, he had always been a wandering spirit; his demesne had likewise been small and mobile. However considering recent events, it would be likely that he would be in Refuge for some time. There did not seem to be anyone else around this area, perhaps due to it being close to Orzammar and the dreamless dwarves and not close to any other dreaming mortal settlements. Though that would only hold for spirits interested in the mortal world. He, nor almost any other spirit he had met, avoided the mortal world.

Still, this was free, unclaimed territory.

“Yes, the mages,” Curiosity said with a head bob. “I heard they are not Avvar mages but strange other ones. Is that true?”

“Yes,” Justice said.

Curiosity gave the impression of ruffling feathers in a wave, from head to tail. “I wish to examine them if you would let me. I would do nothing untowards, but I merely wish to examine their dreams from a distance. I would not step in as that might ruin their dream and defeat the purpose of watching.”

Justice frowned, feeling unease. “I am of no threat to you as long as you do not harm them.” Why would Curiosity assume otherwise? While it was strange a spirit would want contact with the mortal world, some spirits did spend time with spirits, and Curiosity’s base nature was, in fact, curiosity.

“Thank you,” Curiosity said. They gave a single bow before taking flight overhead.

Peculiar.

—

Wandering the Fade was a balancing act of time, something that did not flow the same way in the Fade as it did in the mortal world. Simply because he was used to being pulled back into Anders’ body did not mean it was not inconvenient, especially when some annoyance would wake them both prematurely from the body’s natural sleep cycle.

He could, with effort and with an amount of participation from Anders, still linger in the Fade even when Anders was awake, but it felt unnatural, and as if he might be pulled back into the full mortal world at any moment. It also required few distractions, and there were almost always distractions in the mortal world of varying kinds. Even things that most mortals did not seem to think were distractions could be distracting, like noise.

It no longer felt strange to measure his time in the Fade in how many nights as he had grown used to this, but he still remained an oddity.

Meanwhile, Curiosity continued to visit him sometimes, usually to report that they hadn’t done anything ‘untowards’ the mages. After Hamil and Anla, Justice found he did not mind the updates. Usually.

Justice was attempting to not get eviscerated by a Terror demon, when suddenly in the corner of Justice's perception, a bundle of eyes winked into existence. It was distracting, to say the least, and the Terror demon nearly took Justice's head off.

Feathers appeared next and then everything else followed last, almost as an afterthought. Curiosity fluttered their wings. “So since you are gone more than half the time- Oh hey! Terror. Anyway, about my thoughts...”

Justice ignored the comment as he finally knocked the demon prone. Swiftly, he stabbed downward, piercing the demon's core, and  _willed_ the demon's destruction. In one last act of defiance, it exploded, gore splattering across the landscape even as that began to disintegrate into the ether.

"Gross," Curiosity said. "Makes me glad you aren't mad at me. So I know you are gone more than half the time. That must make it very difficult to do your job properly, but then I am here as I do not know how things work for lowlanders and their spirits."

Justice sheathed his sword. Whatever thoughts he had were disrupted by that line. ‘And their spirits’. That almost implied the spirits of this area did things differently than the spirits Justice was familiar with, and that was a disturbing thought.

“I understand lowlanders and their spirits far outnumber the Avvar,” Curiosity continued. “Though they are very different, and I’m not sure in a good way.”

“I do not know enough about the Avvar to make a judgment,” Justice said, veering towards as much of a diplomatic response as he could give. "Did you require something?"

“Oh, I just came to say that I think it would be best for you to know more about your neighbors. They live right next to you after all,” Curiosity said. "That's all."

While they were likely biased in that regard due to their nature, Justice felt they had some matter of point. Still. “We are busy,” Justice said, “and have more pressing concerns." This was not the only Terror demon in the area, and Justice wanted to hunt the rest down before he woke. "Perhaps in the future we will have such time.”

Curiosity tilted their head to the side and said nothing. It felt judgmental.

—

There were some spirits that Justice knew interacted with mortals: Compassion usually, and then Curiosity, sometimes Valor or Fortitude. Rarely Faith.

Justice had never met a spirit of _Purpose_ with an interest in the mortal world. From what he knew, they primarily acted as mediators between spirits of clashing domains or helped spirits find their way when they felt lost. Occasionally they acted as archivists of dreams, though Wisdom was more likely to take that role. Or so he thought at least. He could be wrong.

“Oh no, most archivists I know of are Fear,” Purpose said helpfully.

“Demons,” Justice said distastefully.

“No?” Purpose said. “Fear is not something restricted to ‘demons’, though a good portion of them are. It’s one of the paths that is more prone to being sullied.”

Justice felt skeptical, but he did not want to get into identity politics. Instead he asked, “How does Fear make for a good archivist?”

She flickered for a moment. “It could take a while to explain, and I could if you wished, but I had business I was interested in first.”

“With me?”

“By default, yes,” she said. “I don’t see anyone else around. I have observed the mortals of a few tribes, but I have not met lowlander mortals before and was interesting in approaching them.”

Perhaps he should have listened to Curiosity. “What does this have to do with me?”

She looked almost taken aback. “You are their main hold spirit, yes? So of course I should check in with you. It is only polite, especially as I do not know your policy of visitors.”

He definitely should have listened to Curiosity. “I have no idea what a ‘hold spirit’ is,” he said, “but if you have no ill intentions towards the mages, I will not stop you from approaching.”

“You lot are even stranger than I thought,” she said. “So do they not have a hold spirit? How else do they negotiate teaching and aspirations? To communicate with the local augur for best inter-community disputes and relations?”

“They do not,” Justice said. “For the most part, they avoid the Fade and its inhabitants.”

“But are you not yourself teaching your host?” she asked, gesturing to the form that he had taken which did bear a likeness to Anders. “Or is he unable to control his magic, and thus you agreed to be permanently bound to him to keep him safe.”

Justice had not felt as unsteady as the first time Justice experienced being on a ship in the mortal world. “I am teaching him nothing, as he was fully taught,” he said. “I needed a body, and he offered me his many years back in the mortal world. I have no idea of these customs to which you are referencing.”

“So the mages never get possessed,” she said, sounding almost betrayed. “They never come into their aspirations, become attuned to the ideals of the Fade.”

"There will be no possession of mages," Justice said firmly.

"Well I hardly think you are one to judge," she said, gesturing at him. "But I wasn't planning on it. The plan was observation only and see if the aspirations of lowlanders differ from those of the Avvar. Besides, I would need to speak to the augur beforehand and counsel on the best spirit to possess a mage." She eyed him over. "Temporarily, of course. You simply don't settle in permanently unless the mage absolutely can't control themself, and that is signed off by the thane and augur both."

And a relieving one, though something he hadn't thought to be vigilant about. Where he had come from, 'do not possess mortals' was one of the most basic standards of decency, and yes, he was possessing Anders, but he knew how delicate of a balancing act it was.

"We have neither thane nor augur," he said.

“Well that is disappointing,” she said. “I was hoping to eventually talk to the augur. This all seems quite backwards. Hmm. Well, despite these backwater-sounding customs, I still wish to observe them. Perhaps I can learn something from their lack of guidance regardless.”

—

After Curiosity and then Purpose, a trickle of spirits began to slowly make his acquaintance. Freedom, Valor, and Compassion were among the greatest in number, though there were others, and all of them asked to some degree permission to be in the area. 

“It is strange,” Justice said.

“Well you can’t fault anyone now,” Curiosity said, gesturing with a wing towards the land around Justice, the glade he was growing tree by tree. “You are building a demesne. You are settling and are possessing the main leader of this hold and actively kill malicious spirits in the area. Granted hold spirits don’t normally possess the thane or augur, but if you act more or less like a hold spirit, then you can’t fault people for assuming you are one.”

Justice could not fault that logic. “I was building one before,” he pointed out, “though I had not prioritized the task as highly until recent matters.”

Curiosity tilted their head. “See that sounds exactly like ‘and then the mortals made me their hold spirit’.”

“I am not one.”

“No, you just face down what they perceive to be an impossible threat, proving you can defend them against their nightmares, and now they want you around for Leadership and Defense.”

Justice was fairly certain that for the most of the mages in Refuge, it was Anders they wished there, not him. Most of the mages anyway. Perhaps Mardra-

Curiosity slowly perked up at that thought, many of their eyes locking onto Justice.

“I am still not a hold spirit,” Justice said, ignoring possible conversational topics. “It is not meant as slander, merely that I do not feel I can call myself one as I am still unfamiliar with the Avvar, and even if I became familiar with the customs, it still does not seem right to call myself such. I am not Avvar.”

“It does also make it difficult that you are gone from home more often than not,” Curiosity said.

“The mortal world is my home now,” Justice said, “though I do miss the Fade.”

“You can have two homes,” Curiosity said, hopping forward. “Some holds are nomadic, cycling between areas from season to season, or even from years to years. That’s not quite you, but it’s similar.”

It was, and it was not. In the same way mages were tethered to their mortal bodies when they visited the Fade when they dreamed, so was Justice tethered to Anders’ body. He was not sure how far away in the Fade he could travel before he inevitably awoke in the mortal world. Time and distance were more nebulous here. That said, the more Justice grew his demesne, the clearer the Fade seemed to become for him, and he found it easier to traverse the region.

It was still not quite as it was before, but nor was it as hazy as when he and Anders first joined.

—

It took him several nights before he realized that there were no new spirits requesting his ‘audience’. After another several nights, some of the regular spirits who visited no longer showed, and he felt uneasy.

“I agree,” Curiosity said, after Justice voiced his concerns. “That’s weird.” Their feathers ruffled and unruffled. “People love mages. They are so shiny and sound lovely. Usually, at least.”

“Could there be something wrong in the area?” Justice asked. He had not heard of any major calamity, nor felt any rifts in the Fade where spirits could be slipping through.

“I could check for you,” Curiosity offered helpfully.

“There are people you can ask?”

Curiosity paused for a brief second. “I was thinking of looking around actually. I do hoard eyes. I sometimes leave them in places for me to pick up later.”

Ah. Justice had forgotten that Curiosity spirits were sometimes not well liked, being nosy even for spirit standards. They would likely cause no end of aggravation for most mortals. Justice himself did not once like prying questions, and was unsure if it was the fact that he had been in the company of a rather nosy group of people for several years, or the fact that almost everyone he talked to was _mortal_ and not a spirit the reason he did not mind Curiosity’s presence.

He loved mortals; he was a champion of one of their causes. That said, sometimes he missed talking to other spirits.

“I know,” Curiosity said. “That’s why I felt safe approaching you.”

“I do not find you obnoxious,” Justice said soothingly. “I enjoy your presence, and I would appreciate any information you can find out.”

“It’s hard to uncover these secrets yourself when you are tied up in many other matters after all,” Curiosity said. “I understand. Delegation.”

—

It took over two weeks for Curiosity to return. Still no new spirits had visited, though Purpose continued to show as well as a few spirits of Freedom.

“You might not like this,” Curiosity said, perching on Justice’s outstretched forearm.

“There are many things I do not like,” Justice said.

“They are being warned off by a powerful Wisdom spirit, The Voice Between Peaks, who not only has a lot of influence in the world, or the local world I guess, but also influence in the mortal world among some Avvar tribes.”

“You are right. I do not like this information,” Justice said.

“I thought you wouldn’t,” Curiosity said. “That said, I don’t think it’s being done out of a sense of maliciousness. Maybe you could request an audience and see what’s going on?”

Justice thought for a moment. “You hailed me,” he finally said. “Other spirits hail me when they enter. I presume I should use that method when entering the demesne?”

“Only if you want to be polite. Which. You probably do.”

“Thank you. I shall do that then. Not tonight, nor tomorrow night because I have things I will likely be up until late hours doing in the mortal world, but should I acquire an appropriate amount of time to sleep the night after that, I shall set out.”

“That sounds like a good plan. It’s always weird seeing you just wink out when we are talking,” Curiosity said. “Downright unnerving.”

All of their eyes blinked at once. Justice knew he was not disturbed by the sight, or rather should not be, but he felt disturbed regardless. Perhaps that was Anders.

“Also, I have an offer,” Curiosity said.

Justice inclined his head for them to continue.

“Usually, almost always, it is hold _spirits,”_ Curiosity said. “Though a hold may have one main spirit they venerate above others, even if that spirit is not as powerful as other ones. You wish to travel but are wary of demons running amok around here. I am no warrior, and I cannot and will not pick a fight with being much larger than myself, which is almost everyone other than wisps. The point is, demons see me as little threat, and I am too fast for them to catch. I can watch, and if there are any demons that come by, I shall memorize them and snitch about them to you later.”

“You wish to join Refuge,” Justice said slowly.

Curiosity tilted their head in an unjudgmental manner. “I have seen nothing like it. It is new, and it is revolutionary, and it looks like there might be more set trade routes than with the other holds I have seen to date. That means new visitors and dreams.” They spread their wings. “You have mages coming from all corners of Thedas! Even elves. I had yet to meet an elf before Refuge came along. Do you suppose you might even have qunari in the future? I didn’t know what qunari even were before I saw them in dreams. There are qunari mages, no? That’s your thing. So I think I would be quite happy roosting here, letting the new, interesting things come to me rather than have me go seek them out. And in return, I can scatter my eyes and absolutely snitch about demons spotted in the area.”

Justice attributed the strange feelings in his chest to having occupied a mortal form for several years. “I would be honored to have you work with me,” he said eventually. “Thank you.”

Curiosity bobbed their head. “Best of luck meeting with Wisdom.”

—

When Justice finally found the time, he set out. He had been expecting a longer journey to The Voice Between Peaks. He had, however, vastly underestimated how powerful, how important this Wisdom spirit was, and thus how large the demesne would be.

It was, as the name would imply, two _mountains,_ a truly massive amount of land in the Fade, and the attention to detail echoed a presence in the mortal world. Justice was uncannily reminded of the Baroness, of a presence far, far greater than he could properly see. On top of that, he could vaguely sense the presence of other spirits lurking in the background, drawn to an entity of such size. There were no wrongdoings going on however, and he tried to make himself relax.

“Hail,” he called out, trying to mimic as best as he could how Curiosity had greeted him. “I request an audience.”

For an upsettingly long moment, nothing happened, and Justice almost felt foolish. Did he perform the hailing wrong? He was not familiar with how these spirits did things. But then trees began to subtly shift out of the way, giving visibility to a single winding path up the mountain. He steeled himself and followed it.

The path upward, while being but a path up the mountains, still held more detail than most dreams. The snow crunched underfoot, the sound carried, cold burned his skin, and if he looked up he saw endless sky.

For that in the Fade? It unnerved him.

While fuller spirits kept their distance, multi-colored wisps played along the path in the sparse grass and echoed the sounds of the wind. Some of them floated towards him when he approached and danced around him for a short while, but they all vanished when then conjured foliage vanished as well, and eventually, he found himself on the top of a peak of a mountain. At this height, he could see the edges of the demesne. Faintly.

Justice was not a weak spirit by any means, but he could not help but feel small.

“The Cause of Mages graces my realm,” a soft voice came on the wind, but no form was made.

“I have questions,” he answered. He paused for a moment before adding, “I have no knowledge of what proper tribute you would require.” That was something Purpose would sometimes talk about, and just now it seemed an important thing to ask after.

“You are not from here, yet at least, so I shall ask for nothing,” Wisdom said. “Your questions are good ones. This will be the only audience you receive without a tribute however; protocol shall follow on any subsequent visits.”

“Why have you been telling spirits to avoid Refuge?” he asked.

Below his spot on the peak, the land began to change, sliding downward until he recognized the lower slopes of Ferelden, and then an army led by a king. Aside from the warriors were the tell-tale robes of Circle mages. Calenhad.

It changed again, the armor and weaponry less elaborate, the buildings both more and less grand, but he could not recognize the event. And it shifted then again, and this time Justice pulled on memories that were not his to recognize that this was likely the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden.

“Once the land that is now called Ferelden was not to dissimilar to the current Avvar,” Wisdom said. “The mortals listened to us, heeded us, paid us tribute and favor, and in return we aided them back.  While there were some darker spirits that preyed upon mortality—for there is never a group immune to the preying of one upon another—we coexisted in peace, helped chase away the darker spirits as we do now, even with the mortals who do not recall the Fade upon awakening. But every time a new invasion came, outsiders brought their ideas with them which they spread to the other mortals, and they inflicted harm upon the Fade and shaped it towards their images. Again and again, until those who once happily spoke to us now feared and shunned us.”

“The Chantry,” Justice said. He was not surprised. Of course it was the Chantry.

“Among others, but that was the main voice,” Wisdom said. “One that spread like wildfire through the lands. At the heart of the Chant is the hatred of the Fade, at best seen as an imperfection to the ‘grandeur of humans’, and at worst sin incarnate.”

“We came here to escape the Chantry,” Justice said firmly. “They are no allies of ours.”

“After a fashion, no,” Wisdom said. “But these mages still carried those ideas with them. There are so few places left in the mortal world now that we can coexist peacefully with mortals. I have led no campaigns directly against your settlement, but I find it prudent to be cautious. Many spirits here are too young to remember how things once were and have not traveled enough to know how fully the outside world hates them. Tell me, Cause of Mages, are all those in Refuge able to see spirits as equals?”

Justice recalled a conversation he—or Anders, or also Anders—had with Mardra along these lines, when Neria had suggested using a wisp as a messenger even if the task would end in its death. The Fade had long memories to be sure, but he had not realized how sensitive the inhabitants here might already be. It was no disparagement against Neria, for wisps congregated around her with such ease, and she loved them.

But Mardra, who cared so deeply, had been the one to voice her thoughts against the plan.

“No,” he said. “Not yet, but they can learn, and there are those in Refuge who advocate for spirits.”

“You are very stereotypical,” Wisdom said, but not unkindly. “Justice for everyone, but justice for spirits takes longer to ponder?”

“I- we-” Justice paused, struggling to find the words. “Where I had wandered and fought in the Fade before I fell into the mortal world, the spirits shunned it. Only demons and the occasional deluded spirit had any interest in the imperfections of the mortal world.”

“A move of separation,” Wisdom said sadly. “For safety. Mortals cannot attempt to force you into a darker role than one you would willingly choose if you never cross paths with mortals.”

“It was a mistake,” Justice said firmly. “There is beauty there.” Yes there was unending corruption, but there was so much worth in mortals, in the beauty of unchanging order, of the strange rules that dictated how everything worked. It was home to him now.

“Oh there is,” Wisdom said, “and so much can be gained through working together. Our worlds are still connected after all, and events in one world leaks into the other and vice versa. Dreamers come with information, sensation, and juxtaposition of ideals. Examining them aids spirits in learning, and spirits can teach mortals in kind. It can be… harmonic.” The winds shifted suddenly. “So you understand that I would not see one of the last bastions come to an end. You say they can learn. That is a possibility, but as is, the taint of the Chantry still clouds their minds." The wind shifted suddenly. "I am not convinced that it does not cloud your mind either. But do not mistake this as a final decision; I am willing to watch for now, for how else can I warn the Avvar should the worst prove true? Yes, there is every possibility that this time things will turn out well, but the history of the mortal world lends to prudence.”

“But if there are no friendly spirits, demons will move in,” Justice said, using Mardra’s words from before. “And that will only reinforce Chantry perceptions of the Fade. I shall do my best to defend against them, but I am but one spirit.”

The winds were quiet for a moment as Wisdom pondered. Even if the winds had not been strong, the sudden silence felt loud in contrast. “I will still have others steer more impressionable spirits away,” the voice finally said, “but I will have others gently counseled if they wish to approach; I do not mean to rally spirits against your Refuge, as that would be a self-fulfilling prophecy, but rather I would have my voices explain that the mages are outsiders escaping corruption, and some of that may yet linger.”

They did, unfortunately, and not just about spirits. At least the majority no longer seemed to desire Templars anymore.

“I can do nothing about wisps of course, as wisps are everywhere,” Wisdom said, “so in the meantime, I shall watch the growth of the wisps, see the natures and attitudes they acquire.”

“You were doing that regardless,” Justice said, realization dawning. “Some of the spirits who visited answer to you.”

“Of course. How else can I observe the changes around me? I am not going anywhere any time soon,” Wisdom said dryly.

This was still not was he was hoping for, but Justice had enough dealings (especially with Bhelen) to know he would not be getting a better deal, and he found he could not fault the wariness. They were mages, taught to fear the Fade, taught to fear their own selves and hate the magic that sang so sweetly around them. Even in Nevarra, one of the most magically progressive countries under Chantry thought, Mardra had lamented over those who abused spirits for power.

…he was a spirit. Justice was not sure how to process that with the previous thoughts, so he put the thoughts aside entirely.

“Do not mistake my prudence for hostility,” Wisdom said gently. “I would love to shown wrong in this matter. I wish you luck, Cause of Mages.”

And then just like that, Justice was at the foot of the mountain, trees obscuring the path once more.

—

The glades stretched further, the trees stronger, and the winds an imperfect extension of his senses. For now, at least. He was learning, and he would defend this area.

Spirits had begun to trickle back—still not many, but some, drawn to the mages and dreaming minds. Curiosity was happy to pick up the greetings as a secondary and as it aided Curiosity’s nature, but from time to time a spirit still requested to see him in particular.

“Valor,” Justice greeted.

The spirit in front of him wore no armor, instead a green haze around a skeletal form. While she wielded no weapon, Justice could feel the arsenal she carried within, waiting to be sprung at a moment.

“Do you come seeking tales of the Legion fighting the darkspawn?” he asked. She would not be the first Valor spirit to do so; excited that dreaming mortals were able to witness battles normally unwitnessed by dreamer perceptions.

“No,” she said. “I come seeking you.” She straightened, skull tipped higher, or rather gave the impression of straightening which hinted that she spent company in the dreams of mortals. “Before you went to the mortal world, you battled demons. Many of them, including several pride demons. After you fought darkspawn and then all matter of things in another area of the mortal world before coming here where you continued your onslaught against darkspawn, including inventing tactics to combine mage forces with dwarves. Though you aspire to Justice, your deeds still ring of Valor, and I would be honored to speak with you of your deeds to learn.”

…she came to speak with _him,_ a spirit who was not Valor, of her domain.

There were few praises higher.

“And I would be honored to speak with you,” he said.


End file.
